The De Tomaso Pantera and Tesla Cybertruck have little in common with one overtly visual exception. They’re both wedge cars, the angled and edgy automobiles of futuristic designs brought to the present.

A mid-engine, performance-heavy sports car manufactured from 1971 to 1992 by the Italian carmaker De Tomaso, the Pantera was the brand’s most popular model. More than 7,000 were purchased in its two-decade production run, primarily during a four-year relationship with Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.

The Tesla Cybertruck debuted in late 2023 as a rear-motor, rear-wheel drive electric pickup truck. Its polarizing design makes the Pantera (Italian for panther) look pedestrian. Its stainless steel exterior honors the looks of the DMC DeLorean, the brushed stainless steel, two-passenger, gull-winged sports car manufactured by DeLorean Motor Company from 1981-1983.

Succinctly defined by automotive journalist Aaron Young, wedge cars “brought crisp body lines and a dramatic slope to the car design world.”

Despite its short tenure, the DeLorean is likely the most well-known wedge car but it was largely panned and sold poorly. But it was featured as the time machine in the 1985 movie “Back to the Future” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.

While annually included in several auctions during Monterey Auto Week via prominent vintage styles from Lamborghini, the BMW M1, Ferrari 365 GT/4 BB and Lotus Espirit, the innovation of the wedge design in concepts was a featured class at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

According to event organizers, “A few 1950s prototypes hinted at the form, but Wedge-shaped designs really came to the fore with concept cars of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Notable examples began with the Ghia Gilda Streamline X and blossomed with the Alfa Romeo Carabo, Ferrari Modulo 512 and the Lancia Stratos HF Zero.
These dramatically different cars influenced production models like the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, DMC DeLorean, Lotus Esprit, Fiat X1/9, Lancia Stratos, Vector W2 — and vestiges appear in the Tesla Cybertruck of today.”

The vehicles were judged at the show for the first time as “One-Off Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes.” It’s the widest-ranging class of the Concours d’Elegance by year. The concepts will span nearly 70 years starting with the 1955 Ghia “Gilda.”

The car with the alliterative name was built via the request of Chrysler executive Virgil Exner. Extreme even by wedge design standards, the vehicle was nicknamed after actress Rita Hayworth’s performance in the 1946 film of the same name. It debuted as a showcar at the Salone di Torino in Italy. It was also showcased around Europe and in the United States.

Giovanni Savonuzzi, an aerodynamicist and engineer with a mathematician’s creativity designed the vehicle. He had a keen interest in the Rocket Age of American design. Savonuzzi also admired beautiful women, including Hayworth, the Hollywood icon who made 61 films in a 37-year career and died in 1987.

The concept, like the actress, is striking. It has huge tail fins, a unique two-tone exterior paint scheme, oversized wheels and, a small interior, no rear suspension and no pedals. It’s propelled by a gas turbine designed to run on kerosene, gasoline, diesel or other combustible fuels. Rarely driven, it advances slowly via a shift lever to the right of the front seat.

A diverse group of other concepts will also be showcased among the extremes of the wedge design including Honda’s first concept, the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental). It marks the first Japanese vehicle entry at the Concours d’Elegance in more than 50 years.

Styled and handcrafted by the Italian design house Pininfarina, the appearance of HP-X was its first major public appearance since 1984. The concept preceded the development of the first-generation NSX supercar. The ancient Honda has undergone an extensive restoration at the Pininfarina workshop in Italy.

The HP-X features advanced aerodynamics including “ground effects” and innovative cooling solutions for its mid-mounted 2.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 based on a Honda F2 racing engine. There are no doors, instead, the concept features a jet-fighter-style removable single-piece Perspex canopy.

The Alfa Romeo Carabo, Ferrari Modulo 512 and Lancia Stratos HF Zero are also among prominent wedge concepts.

First showcased at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, the fiberglass-bodied Carabo was created in 10 weeks at Bertone Design Studio in Turin, Italy. It was never intended for production but was fully functional. Its name is derived from the family of brightly colored Carabidae beetles, thus car’s iridescent green and orange coloring. The Carabo’s “scissor” doors were an automotive first.

The Ferrari Modulo 511, designed by Paolo Martin for Pininfarina, was unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. It has a canopy-style roof that slides forward to for occupant entry. It’s powered by and 800 horsepower V12 and advances from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

Because of its low-to-the-ground stature and other design innovations, the prototype has received numerous awards and has been displayed around the world.

Wedge design was competitive, with the Lancia Stratos HF Zero concept also showcased in 1970 but at the Turin Motor Show in Italy. Its chiseled shape was bold, even by wedge designers’ standards. Its appearance was precursor to the 1971 Lamborghini Countach.

Design elements included a front headlight strip backlit by ten 55W bulbs at the front, while the rear strip used no less than 84 tiny bulbs spread around the perimeter of the truncated tail.

Dual exhausts were offset of the protruding gearbox case and flanked on either side by wide tires. The engine cover was triangularly shaped with slats shaped to direct air toward the radiator.

While wedge-designed cars are more renowned among collectors and historians and often presented as concept-only cars, several iconic modern-day vehicles honor the wedge styling. The lists includes the Aston Martin Lagonda, Fiat X1/9, Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Huracan, Maserati Khamsin, Mazda RX-7 and Triumph TR-7.